Today I Watched...We're The Millers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin

We’re The Millers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Review by Paul Preston

Welcome to Today I Watched…, a series of posts documenting my new challenge – watch a movie a day for the rest of my life. Keep coming back to TheMovieGuys.net to find out what I watch each day…and get my take on it.

When I see a movie that’s a new release in theaters or for home viewing, I’ll give it a proper review in the “Reviews”, otherwise, I’ll write about it here.

April 18, 2017 – Colossal – catch the review of the criminally under-seen Anne Hathaway monster movie in the REVIEWS category of TheMovieGuys.net.

April 19 & 21, 2017 – We’re The Millers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Still in a hotel in New York City. After long days working an auto show, I get back to the hotel room, jump on the computer and catch up with my fake internet life. This is a good time to pop something on the TV just to have a movie playing, ‘cause who doesn’t always want a movie playing? (And if you don’t, I don’t want to know you). This brings up a long-standing Movie Guy argument – would a Movie Guy have a movie on if you’re doing something else like the dishes or catching up on email? Wouldn’t a true Movie Guy need to focus fully on the movie? The argument against that is that at least you made time for a movie, even if you were doing something else.

I can see both sides of this argument, and I tend to compromise. I’ll put a movie on in the background, as long as it’s one I’ve seen before, that way if it doesn’t get my full attention, no big deal. Problem solved. So, loafing around my hotel room in N.Y., We’re the Millers popped up on cable TV. It’s a hit and miss comedy from director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, Central Intelligence). Jason Sudeikis is a low-rent drug dealer who poses with other lowlifes as a family to sneak drugs across the border in an RV. Sudeikis is really funny here, maximizing his charm which seamlessly flows between quick and deadpan (if you want more Sudeikis, watch the above-mentioned Colossal, AVOID Horrible Bosses 2, where he and Charlie Day are encouraged to overact). I wish We’re the Millers would double-down on the relationships, which include Jennifer Aniston’s stripper, Emma Roberts’ street rat and sad sack Will Poulter having to somehow be a family. Instead it doubles down on inflamed scrotums, gay and oral sex gags. Yeah, they’re funny for half a second, then forgotten, but the snide jabs between the “family members” is where the movie finds its real life. The movie also doubles down on swearing, never a good sign. 100+ f-bombs and they lose all meaning, seeing the movie on basic cable calmed that down for the better.

A couple days later, I saw The 40-Year-Old Virgin for the fourth or fifth time. Judd Apatow’s hilarious look at sex, or lack-thereof, among adults in the valley is still a huge winner, mostly because of the heart they allow the main character to have. If you haven’t seen it, you must. The movie wisely avoids being a bash-fest of the never-laid, but instead we get to see Steve Carell’s character Andy’s PAIN. And lest you forget a tried and true rule, pain is HILARIOUS. This is the best stuff Romany Malco’s ever done, I don’t know why he didn’t get the same push other co-stars like Jane Lynch and Seth Rogen got after this movie. The writing worked, even on basic cable, the “you know how I know you’re gay” bit is never old, the shallow-ness of the guys who’ve had all kinds of sex, the speed dating bit, the use of Asia, a joke about OSCAR GOLDMAN – all hit bullseyes. I would see this again in a heartbeat.

WE’RE THE MILLERS
Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Release Date: August 7, 2013
Run Time: 110 minutes
Country: USA
Distributor: New Line Cinema/Warner Brothers